LINA DO CARMO

Mythology and innovation arise from a deep creative force that searches for contemporary and distinct expression. Dance is an universal language for this expression. Lina do Carmo's creations are statements of her cultural identity. With the means of her body she translates emotions and stories from her home culture into the language of an expressive dance theatre that fascinates audiences around the world.

Photo: Heinz Wedewardt

Since many years the choreographer and dancer Lina do Carmo lives in Germany as well as in Brazil. After studying dance and theatre in Brazil and the USA, Lina studied mime in Paris with Marcel Marceau and achieved the mimodrame diploma. In her artistical work she combines the different techniques of body expression with the imaginative sources of her roots into unique organic movement language, from which she created several solo shows and group pieces, like »VICTORIA REGIA – A Fiction from Amazonas« (1990), »FUGITUS« (1994), »CAPIVARA« (1997), »ARUANÃZUG« (1999).

Her solo dances have been performed successfully on festivals and in theatres all over Germany as well as in Austria, Italy, France, Portugal, Poland, Lichtenstein and of course Brazil. Lina do Carmo is also a teacher, e.g. at the Tanzhaus NRW in Düsseldorf, Tanz Woche Wien, Ecole de Mimodrame de Paris, Ohio University, many festivals and several Brazilian theatre universities and dance centers.

In the years from 2000 she has shifted her activities to Brazil, developing choreographic researches (dance and archeology) and establishing, with the support of the »Fundação Museu do Homem Americano«, the art & education center Pro-Arte FUMDHAM (formation, creation and research) in the Serra da Capivara National Park in her home state Piauí. This initiative was awarded »Cidadão 21 Arte« in 2002 by the IAS (Instituto Ayrton Senna). In 2003 she conceived and directed the 1st INTERARTSFESTIVALINTERARTES in Serra da Capivara. For her cultural and political engagement for the development of new possibilities of a social and human transformation of the interior Brazil she was nominated for the »Prêmio Multicultural Estadão«, the most important cultural award in Brazil. Sharing her life between Germany and Brazil Lina do Carmo is still trying to combine innovative art, prehistorical ambience and strong nature. After the successful 2nd edition of the INTERARTSFESTIVALINTERARTES in 2004 she went on a Brazilian tour with her solo dance »CAPIVARA« supported by an award of »CARAVANA FUNARTE«.

Since 2005 Lina do Carmo engages herself also in Germany in projects for children and young people, e.g. ”Dance Meets Identity – 180˚ Grad Drehung“ with the NRW Landesbüro Tanz – Landesbüro nrw Dance in schools (North-Rhine-Westphalia Dance Office – Dance in Schools) and with the KölnMusik GmbH for the Vivaldi project ”The four Seasons“ presented at the Cologne Philharmonic Concert Hall. Besides this since long time the special focus of her work has been the interface between choreography and metaphysics. Thus Lina do Carmo communicates throught her youngest solo-choreography VIAJANTE DA LUZ (Voyage into the Light), premiered 2007 in Cologne, “the dance as experience of the soul – not just as performance impulse, but also as source of human consciousness“.

In April 2011 at the Kreuzkirche in Bonn Lina do Carmo will create the choreography for the multimedial music-theatre project “Was ist Wahrheit? (What is Truth?)”, based on J.S. BACH's “Johannespassion” with the “Kammerchor VOXBONA” conducted by the choirmistress Karin Freist-Wissing and directed by Christoph G. Amrhein. More info: www.johannespassion2011.de

”Lina do Carmo dances with an elementary power of expression… Gestures…unfold themselves in a frequent change of dynamic energy and breath-taking silence.“
(Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany)

”Lina do Carmo unifies cultures … She seems to be searching for something from former times, from the ancestry. But the most important is the substance of her mixtures. She is such a fine and powerful performer, everything her body does is organic, it seems materialized in her bones and muscles, breathing through her skin.“
(Helena Katz, O Estado, São Paulo, Brazil)